Premier League Manager Bubble Must Be Burst

Are our Premier League managers behaving like kids? Some would say they are.

These days there is always stiff competition when it comes to deciding who is under the most pressure. The current leader in that awful contest is Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglu. He really isn’t helping himself though.

Ange Under Fire

Premier League Next Manager to Leave Betting

There may be another shift in job titles soon. It’s the norm at the top level of football these days. Many of us genuinely forget who is in charge of a Brighton or a Brentford at any given time. No offence to those clubs, of course.

The Premier League is like the stock exchange of the sporting working place. It’s brutal. But in such cases, people are simply told that if they can’t handle it, get out. Many top-level managers would do well to heed that advice for their own health and reputation.

Ange Postecoglu is following a familiar, if unfortunate path. He started out very bubbly and is now becoming publicly pugnacious. After his team lost to Everton, he was asked a fair question by a reporter. It regarded the result being predictable. That was true.

Ange responded by saying, sarcastically, “great way to start an interview”. But again, that reporter said nothing untoward and it’s something Tottenham fans themselves would surely want pressed on their manager.

The thing is the defeat was predictable. The response from Ange, unfortunately, was too.

Attitudes and Tactics Changing the Game

Football Manager Drawing Tactics on Chalkboard

Ange Postecoglu brought about the level of criticism he is getting on himself. He did this twice. Firstly, when he said that he usually wins something in his second season, like it’s a computer game. Secondly, when he doubled down and said he “always wins something in his second season”. He made himself fair game.

He isn’t the only one showing themselves not to be above criticism. Amorim, Arteta and even Pep (for a while) have come under great scrutiny. There is a theme. This whole “stick to the plan” and “trust the process” nonsense is now infuriating for fans of these clubs. The greats did the opposite and stayed flexible.

Sir Alex Ferguson, love or hate his personality, won his first 38-game Premier League with 82 points and his second with just 75. As the competition grew, his own points tally grew as he always found a way to compete and keep up with the opposition.

Of today’s crop, Eddie Howe has also shown adaptability. After his Newcastle team lost 4-2 at Brentford, he reportedly held a meeting with every individual team member. After that, he tweaked his midfield and went on a 9-game winning run. It’s not a coincidence that he doesn’t berate the press and complain about every little thing.

Two of our best teams, Man City and Arsenal, are still trying to pass teams to death and frankly it’s boring to watch. When beaten 6-0, the best thing Ipswich could have done is just let Man City have the ball. Not all of their possession is even designed to try and score, but to keep the ball and tire you out.

Petulance

The attitude of our managers who now live in the Premier League bubble is becoming atrocious. The game has to move on, but people should still be calm, responsible adults.

In the days of Brian Clough et al, managers went to see players personally. They got them to sign contracts. They looked after them off the pitch. None of that happens anymore in the days of ambassadors, liaisons and those horrible, horrible agents.

The result we see now is not just petulance from players, but from their managers. A small example is that of Arne Slot. He was seen joking on TV at pitch side before his team’s game at Newcastle. He was smiley, bubbly and outgoing.

After his team’s fair 3-3 draw, he was angry with the officials and cantankerous with those around him publicly. This reminds me of F1 driver Sebastien Vettel. He had a personality everyone loved but, amazingly, it changed when he wasn’t winning every week.

Managers are increasingly behaving like spoilt children, Slot of course being nowhere near the level of Mikel Arteta and one hopes he never gets there.

Arteta is part of a generation of managers who in turn came from a certain generation of players. They were the players who began rolling over for free kicks, looking to get each other booked while complaining when it happens to them, shouting at referees for everything and all while remaining protected in their bubble.

This is the generation who would celebrate in front of opposition fans to wind them up, knowing fine well nobody is going to jump over the barrier to get to them. It’s cowardly. They now manage our teams. They are acting like tennis players. Brats, if you will.

Don’t Fear the Truth

Ruben Amorim is now under pressure at Manchester United. It’s not just for results, it’s now for saying that he has the worst Man United team ever.

As far as the Premier League era is concerned, this is the worst Man United team. Some say Amorim admitting this doesn’t help squad confidence, but many of us would applaud him for telling the truth.

We criticise the current generation of young parents and teachers for telling kids they are great at everything and handing out medals. Even if you can agree with that, surely we don’t have to do the same with grown men playing in a high-pressure, highly-paid sport?

There is never, ever, anything wrong with telling the truth.